Bambi: Son of Man
by seniorcopycat
Summary: Everyone in the forest knows what man in capable of. It is because of man that Bambi lost his mother. But upon the arrival of a younger version of man who seems to be connected to nature Bambi begins a friendship with the young human. But while Bambi tries to convince everyone that the boy is not dangerous, some aren't so unconvinced. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Bambi: Son of Man**

**Chapter 1**

"_One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca_

It was almost noon. There were some clouds in the blue sky that partially covered up the sun, but all in all in was a very peaceful in the forest beyond. The trees stretched all the way to the sky, next to same large boulders and stumps that mad had cut down a long time ago. Many of the woodland creatures went about their business without a care in the world, aside from the fear of man that laid just beyond the trees.

Speaking of beyond the trees, on a long and empty road right next to the forest, a single truck drove right down it.

Inside said truck was man himself, along with a smaller version of man, or as they liked to be called; humans. The one driving the truck was a muscular thirty-two year old man named Buck Chandler with dark brown hair and a scruffy, lumberjack like appearance. He wore a red flannel shirt, some worn out blue jeans with a belt around it and boots plus a cowboy like hat. Next to him was his fourteen-year old son Emmett who was busy playing a game. He wore a dark green short sleeved shirt with a gray undershirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Buck took a deep breath and sighed. "Sure is nice to be out in the wilderness, all this fresh oxygen… it's nice, right son?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Emmett muttered, distracted as he continued to play his game.

"Would you put that away? You'll rot your brain." Buck told him as he took away his game.

"Why are we even out here anyway? Nothing ever happens outside the city." Emmett said, bored.

"I thought it'd be a good chance for the two of us to have some good fashioned father-son bonding time." Buck replied. "Is that a problem?"

"No…" Emmett muttered, lowly.

"Good." His father said, satisfied. "You know your mother, god rest her soul, would have wanted this for us."

Emmett looked at his father. "You think so?" he asked, curiously.

"Well she did always say we never really spend much time together so…" Buck began.

"Right…" Emmett said, seeing his father's point. He paused. "Are we really gonna kill deer?"

"That _is_ what hunting is all about, remember?" Buck reminded him.

"Why?" Emmett asked, a bit confused.

"Well… some do it for fun, for sport… and some do it to feed their families." Buck explained.

"I guess that makes sense…" Emmett muttered.

"But?" Buck asked, expectantly.

"But it still feels wrong…" Emmett stated. "What if those deer have families or something?"

"Emmett, those deer are just animals, they don't feel anything. Just fear. They live so we can hunt them, understand?" His father asked him.

The boy sighed, knowing he could not argue with his father. "Yes sir, I understand."

"Good boy." Buck said, satisfied, as they continued to drive down the road towards the forest. Along the way, as he looked out the window Emmett spotted someone watching them from close by; an old man. Emmett tried to look closer but when he checked again, the old man was gone.

"What the heck?" Emmett remarked.

Buck turned to him. "What's wrong boy? Did you see something?"

Emmett looked around for the old man but still couldn't see him anywhere, it was like he just vanished into thin air, confusing the boy greatly. "Uh… no… it's nothing."

"Don't worry about it, this forest plays tricks on you sometimes." Buck said. "Just gotta know who and what you can trust, because if you don't…"

"You're a dead man." Emmett finished.

"Exactly." Buck nodded. "But don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you out here. Not as long as I'm around."

"Yeah… hopefully…" Emmett mused while they continued to drive off.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, around the same time, a young teenage Buck was happily running through the field, chasing after a butterfly. His name is Bambi, the son of the Great Prince of Forest, who was following him close behind as he neared the edge of the forest which was right next to the road.<p>

"Slow down, Bambi." The Great Prince of the Forest told him. "We have to be careful. Man could be anywhere around here."

Bambi then stopped in his tracks. "Oh… sorry Father."

"That's alright, I just need you to be careful and to listen to my instructions." His father said, gently.

"Don't worry, I will father." Bambi nodded. "So what are we doing today, anyway?"

"Today is about defending yourself if necessary." The Prince of the Forest stated.

"Defending myself?" Bambi echoed. "From what?"

"From man." Bambi's father said, grimly.

Bambi gulped at the mention of the species that killed his mother a long while ago. "Man?" he repeated.

"Yes, while we usually are able to get away from them but if they _ever_ try to hurt our children, like they tried to hurt _you_, then we must defend ourselves and our own if necessary." The Forest Prince stated, firmly.

"But Father… I know man is the reason Mother is… gone… but shouldn't we… I don't know… try to make peace with them?" Bambi questioned.

"It's not that simple, and even if we could they wouldn't listen," his father stated. "Man is a cold and heartless species who have no feelings and only care about hunting our fellow woodland creatures, just like your mother…"

Bambi's head and ears lowered at the mention his mother, it had only been a while since she was taken from him and he still missed her terribly."

"Remember Bambi, man only exists to hunt us. They have no compassion or love of any kind. They live to only to hunt us, understand?" The Great Prince of the Forest asked him.

Bambi nodded. "Yes sir, I understand."

"Good," he said, pleased. "Now let's keep moving, alright?"

"Ok Father." Bambi nodded, smiling as he continued to follow his respected father further into the forest and coincidently it was the same direction that Emmett and his own father were taking at that very moment. As if fate had just played a hand in bringing these two families together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sometime later, Emmett and his father had finally reached their camping spot and set up their tent and everything. They had their food located up high so animals could not get to it and a trench around their camp spot to clear away the rain. While Emmett sat on a stump sulking, his father was preparing what appeared to a be bow near him.

"Come on son, no lagging around. I'm gonna teach how to use a bow, like a _real_ hunter." Buck told him as he held up the bow. Emmett glanced toward him, looking doubtful.

"You know I thought hunters used _guns_ these days." Emmett pointed out.

"They do, but a bow is much more quiet and less likely to scare 'em off." Buck said as he drew the bows string back and prepared to fire the arrow at a large tree before him.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Emmett admitted.

"Of course I am." Buck smirked. "Now watch and learn."

Emmett turned to his Dad fully watched him as he drew the drawstring back, making it stretched then as he slowly let go of the arrow he watched as it shot out and flew straight for the tree in front of him before the arrow head pierced it completely.

"Whoa!" Emmett said, amazed as he stood up.

"Not so boring now, huh?" Buck said with a satisfied smile.

"I'll say…" Emmett agreed as he walked over.

Buck held the bow towards him. "You try."

Emmett looked at the bow with an unsure look on his face, but still he took it plus another arrow as well. "Uh… I don't know…"

"Come on, it'll be good practice for ya." Buck encouraged. "Give it a try."

"Ok… if you say so…" Emmett said as he took an arrow, placed it in the middle of the bow and pulled back against the bow's string.

"Careful, don't pull too hard and not to softly." Buck instructed.

"Ok, I got it." Emmett said, slightly annoyed. He eventually let go of the bow and it went flying into the woods, completely missing the tree in front of him. Emmett sighed, disappointed.

"Ah, wasn't that bad, you almost hit it." Buck assured his son.

"Yeah… almost." Emmett said, depressed.

"Just keep practicing, you'll get it." Buck assured him, confidently.

"Yeah, when I'm eighty…" Emmett scoffed, not feeling confident with himself, he then dropped to the ground. "I'm just not hunter material Dad… I never _was_…"

"You can't keep doubting yourself like that, son." Buck told him. "Otherwise you'll never get anywhere in life."

"That's what you keep telling me…" Emmett sighed.

"And I'm gonna keep telling you that until you believe it yourself. Ok?" Buck said, firmly. "Now come on, let's try again."

Emmett sighed again. "Yeah… let's try again," he said as he got back up and took the bow his father gave him. He took an arrow and pulled it back along with the string as he set it up, he aimed at the tree, carefully.

"Remember; just take a breath; imagine your target, aim a little higher than it… then fire." His father instructed him, calmly. "And always maintain your focus."

"Should I measure the wind currents?" Emmet inquired.

"It's on the rise… like your panties." His father joked.

"Ha-ha." Emmett laughed, sarcastically. "Now… can you let me fire or not?"

"Sorry." Buck said, holding up his hands in defeat.

Emmett nodded. "Thank you," he said before he resumed trying to aim the arrow at the tree again. His father glanced at him with a mischievous look and spoke up just as Emmett began to fire.

"How's your heart rate?" he said. His interruption surprised Emmett and caused him to fire in the wrong direction and miss the tree completely. Emmett groaned while Buck laughed.

"So close… yet so far." Buck said, shaking his head.

"That is… not gonna count, I need to go again." Emmett said.

"Oh?" Buck asked, raising a brow, interested.

"Yeah, because you talked." Emmett told him.

"That was the idea, you can't let anything distract you, not even me." Buck stated.

"Right, got it…" Emmett nodded, as he gave him the bow back.

"Well, try again in a bit." His father told him before giving him a proud pat on the back and walking off to apparently cut some more wood.

"Ok, Dad." Emmett nodded before walking off as well, he then sat back on his stump and sighed looking thoughtful.

The young fourteen-year old continued to stare at the ground for a while and watch the large gathering of ants walk around his shoe before a gentle breeze blew by him, which he seemed to enjoy. He also smiled as he watched the colorful leaves blow by and swirl around above him in perfect harmony.

Emmett then noticed the old man he saw from before once again, he looked closely but saw that he had disappeared again. He rushed over to the bushes and glanced around looking for any sign of him. The only thing he could find was a faint pair of tracks leading into the forest in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, making his decision."

"Dad? I'm gonna go check out the forest!" Emmett called out. "I'll be back soon."

"Alright, just don't go too far in, ok?" Buck said.

"Ok, Dad." Emmett told his father as he proceeded into the forest, unknown to him someone was watching him from the shadows.

* * *

><p>As Emmett proceeded into the forest he passed by multiple tall trees with various animals jumping from branch to branch above him. The area was mostly shady, with some sunlight shining through the cracks, which Emmett had to shield himself from as he proceeded forward. Then he stopped when he heard a strange noise nearby.<p>

"Hello? Who's there?" Emmett asked. "Come on, I know your there! So show yourself already!"

Emmett continued to look around until he came face to face with an old African-American man with a white beard and dark brown eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt, green cargo pants, black sandals and carried with him a long wooden walking stick.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from!?" Emmett asked the old man, startled.

"Do not be frightened child, I am a friend." The old man assured him.

"Friend?" Emmett repeated, doubtfully. "Friends don't sneak up on each other in dark forests."

"My apologises for frightening you, that was not my intention, trust me." The old man assured him.

"I wasn't scared." Emmett said, stubbornly.

"Ah, a stubborn one… but because of that stubbornness you have a strong will, which is quite admirable." The old man remarked.

"Uh… Thank you?" Emmett responded, slowly. "Now who _are_ you anyway?"

"My name is Usutu and I sense a strong connection to nature inside you." Usutu said.

"Connection to nature?" Emmett echoed, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me and I will show you." Usutu promised, as he began to walk off into the forest.

"Hey. Hey! Where are you going?" Emmett asked as he ran after the mysterious old man.

Emmett rushes through a large amount of trees and pushes through every branch or bush that was in his way. He hopped over large rocks and a small creek, huffing and puffing all the way down until finally the old man he was chasing finally appeared in front of him, holding up his hand like a traffic cop.

"Stop!" Usutu shouted. Emmett screeched to a stop in front of his hand, looking confused.

"Stand perfectly still." Usutu instructed as he backed away.

"Why?" Emmett asked

"You'll see." Usutu said, smiling. He then stopped walking and stood absolutely still. He then slammed his stick on the ground and began muttering something in an odd language, much to Emmett's confusion.

"Uh… what are you doing?" Emmett questioned, confused. Usutu just continued chanting. "Hello? Are you listening to me?"

Just then, Emmett began to notice strange symbols appearing all around him in a circle and glowing green. They appeared on the ground, the rocks, the trees, the leaves, all around him and as Usutu continued to chant they glowed.

"What the…" Emmett began, surprised as the lights around him started to glow brightly. "What's going on here?"

The symbols then began to float off the trees, leaves, rocks and the ground and quickly began to swirl around him, much to his amazement. They soon split into several rings that encircle and spin around him.

"What's happening!?" The fourteen-year old demanded, sounding fearful.

"Do not worry yourself child, you are simply being given the gift I promised you." Usutu told him. "And let me assure you, thee have_ earned_ it…"

The rings then began to close in on him, and he had no way of getting out. When they finally touch him a tower of green lit then shot out from beneath his feet, which was seen from all across the forest. Getting the attention of every animal in there, including Emmett's father.

"What in blazes?" he remarked.

Bambi's father also noticed the tower of light that was shining from the edge of the Forest. His eyes narrowed.

"Something's wrong…" he mused.

Meanwhile, Emmett's eyes glowed green while his hair stood up on end as the green tower of light continued to affect him somehow. It slowly dialed down and eventually faded away and once it did Emmett dropped to his knee, groggy.

"Ugh… what was that? What the heck did you_ do_ to me, old man?" Emmett asked, struggling to stand up straight.

"What I _gave_ you was a _gift_." Usutu told him, calmly.

"A 'gift'?" Emmett repeated, confused.

"Yes. You are now… one with nature." Usutu said, with a smile. "And because of that your true destiny will reveal itself."

"One with nature? What do you mean?" Emmett questioned.

Usutu just pointed to another path behind him, Emmett turned towards it. "Follow the path of life… and find out."

Emmett stared at the path, still confused. "But… where does it lead?" he asked as he turned to Usutu, only to find him gone again. "How does he _do_ that?"

The fourteen-year old looked closer and much to his surprise he saw that the way he came had also disappeared.

"Hey… how the?" he began as he looked around for the other path but found nothing. "Hello? Dad! Usutu? Anybody!?"

Again, nobody answered, all he could hear were the various sounds coming from the forest all around him. Then he heard what sounded like human voices coming from the other end of the path Usutu that had pointed out earlier.

"Come on! Hurry up, already!"

"I'm going as fast I can!"

"Well them gather up as fast as you can!"

Curious as to who those voices belonged to, Emmett began to slowly go down the path that Usutu instructed him to go down.

As he proceeded further down the path, and thus further into the forest the voices became louder and louder until Emmett could confirm that they seemed to be coming from behind the large root of a giant tree nearby him.

"Ugh! That's not what I meant when I said 'improvise'!"

He then heard muffled sounds of someone else trying to argue with the other voice.

Emmett walked over to the tree, bent down to his knees so he hear the voices better then looked around it to see who was talking. Emmett's eyes widened when he saw that the voices were coming from two squirrels. One with a ton of nuts in its mouth, making its cheeks very huge and the other looked really annoyed.

"I told you not to pack so many nuts!" The squirrel told his partner annoyed. The squirrel with his mouth full could only mutter fast and unintelligible words. The lead squirrel just groaned. "I don't care if you're super hungry, I just want to get home in one piece without your massive amount of nuts slowing us down!"

The stuffed squirrel then noticed Emmett watching them with wide eyes and his own eyes widen as well. He squealed and tried to alert his friend of him but he couldn't say much due to all the nuts in his mouth.

"What? I can't understand you when you talk with food in your mouth you know!" The annoyed squirrel told his friend, who continuously pointed up toward Emmett. He eventually gave in and turned around. "Well what is it?

The squirrel then saw Emmett and yelped.

"You… you just _talked_…!" Emmett said, still stunned. The two squirrels continued to shake fearfully in front of him.

"Just back away… real slow like…" The first one said as he began to back away slowly before Emmett leaned closer to them.

"How'd you _do_ that?" Emmett questioned, incredulously. The two squirrels' screamed, t and then quickly took off in the forest, dropping all their nuts in the process.

Emmett then heard voices above him and from the looks of it, it seemed that it was coming from a formation of birds just above him.

"Are we there yet?" One voice asked.

"Don't make me turn this formation around!" Another voice from above said, sounding annoyed.

Emmett shook his head, bewildered. "What is going on here? It's like I can hear every animal's voice… like if they were _people_…"

Emmett's mind then remembered the words that Usutu told him before he disappeared.

"You are now… one with nature. And because of that your true destiny will reveal itself."

Emmett's eyes widen.

"One with nature… of course! I'm one with nature!" Emmett exclaimed in realization. "This the coolest thing since… television or something! I wonder what else I can talk to?"

Emmett then heard more voice close by and then began to run towards them, quickly.

* * *

><p>Around the same time, the Great Prince's son Bambi was dashing toward the direction of the tower of light that was shown moments ago. He soon stopped and turned towards someone.<p>

"Come on Thumper, let's go!" Bambi called out.

A small gray and white rabbit hopped and appeared right next to him. "Sorry, I got hungry!"

"You're _always_ hungry." Bambi smirked, amused.

"What can I say? I have a really big appetite." Thumper shrugged.

The cute little black and white skunk then scurried over. "Yeah, I'll vouch for that."

"So… why we going over there again?" Thumper asked.

"Simple, I want to see what that bright light was just now." Bambi explained.

"Didn't your Dad say not to?" Flower pointed out.

"Well… yeah… but he'll never know, and we'll be careful, don't worry." Bambi assured them.

"I'm never worried!" Thumper boasted.

"I am…" Flower said, fearfully.

"Well don't be." Bambi assured his friend. "We're just gonna go over there, see what that light was and then leave. Easy."

"Yeah… hopefully." Flower mused.

"Then let's go!" Thumper declared as he whooped and moved on ahead, before they all stopped in their tracks as soon as they heard a noise.

"What was _that_?" Flower asked, surprised.

"Stay behind me guys." Bambi told them, as he got in front of them.

"Why? What are you gonna do?" Thumper questioned.

"My Dad said to always put the safety of others before my own, I have to." Bambi stated, firmly. They all waited as the rustling in the bushes got louder and louder which made them gulp and shake a bit in fear. Eventually, Bambi began to creep closer to the sound.

"Bambi…" Flower said, slowly and nervously.

"It's ok Flower… what…" Bambi began before Emmett expectedly poked his head out the bushes, causing him to be face to face with the young buck. They both stared at each other for a while before they both screamed at the top of their lungs and ran in opposite directions. Thumper and Flower saw what Bambi saw and screamed as well before taking off.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Author's Note: This chapter uses bits of inspiration and references from various forms of media that I like, admire and honor but I do not own them. This is not for profit, it is merely for fun. No flames please and thank you.<strong>**


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